Matchday 27 of the EPL season is in the books, and we’re here to review it, identify the big takeaways, and examine the markets.
Around The EPL
Tammy Abraham scored his first EPL goal since returning to Aston Villa, securing a point against Leeds United to open Matchday 27. While Leeds will be frustrated to let two points slip by conceding with only two minutes left in regulation time, they made it 31 points for the season – the same number they generated throughout all of last season.
Brighton & Hove Albion finally won on the road, ending a winless run extending back to November, with a 2-0 win over Brentford. It ended up as a record-breaking match for Brighton’s veteran midfielder.
While a lot of the focus is on Arsenal and Manchester City at the top, Chelsea gave up a prime opportunity solidify themselves in a Champions League place. Going up 1-0 early, the Blues conceded to relegation-bound Burnley three minutes into injury time to leave with only a point.
Wesley Fofana is sent off after a second yellow card vs. Burnley.
Chelsea's 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐇 player to receive a red card this season 😬 pic.twitter.com/9gLPGEN4y4
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 21, 2026
West Ham have been playing well recently, but have struggled to turn that promising form into points. They managed only one with a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth at the weekend, too. Still in the relegation zone two points from safety, the pressure remains on the Hammers ahead of their Matchday 28 fixture against Liverpool as $7.20 outsiders.
Wolves fought hard to the end, going down to 10 men after an hour, but couldn’t hold out Crystal Palace as Evann Guessand scored a late winner. Although the result is unlikely to get fans back onside for Oliver Glasner, who told them to “stay humble” earlier in the week.
Darren Ambrose labels Oliver Glasner's comments towards Crystal Palace fans "disgraceful" after they were told to "stay humble" 🗣️🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/EsG50Ymvph
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) February 22, 2026
Liverpool needed 97 minutes to break the deadlock against Nottingham Forest. Victor Pereira became the fourth manager of the campaign for Forest, who are desperately trying to pull clear of the relegation zone – now only five points ahead of the drop.
A Raul Jiminez brace saw Fulham end their three-game losing streak to beat Sunderland 3-1 at the Stadium of Light. While Fulham ended up in front on the scoreboard, the xG numbers provide Saints with some confidence, finishing just behind the visitors’ 1.87 expected goals with 1.82, both on 12 attempts.
Later, Tottenham failed to throw a punch in the North London Derby, going down to Arsenal 4-1 as they recaptured their five-point buffer at the top of the EPL table.
Another week, another late goal for Benjamin Sesko who fired Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Everton, a week after snatching a draw against West Ham. Michael Carrick’s dream run since taking over as interim manager continues as he looks to lock down a place in Europe and the manager job long-term.
3 Takeaways From Matchday 27
Milner Makes History
James Milner is already an EPL legend, but has the appearance record now to back it up after playing his 654th league match on Sunday. After making his Premier League debut way back in 2002, Milner as been a model of professionalism to have passed Gareth Barry in the all-time appearances standings.
Did you know that 49% of players to ever play a Premier League game have played in a game either alongside or against James Milner?
He's had 281 different teammates in a Premier League game, playing alongside players born in every year from 1968 to 2007. pic.twitter.com/QUbPSWAcmI
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) February 5, 2026
The 40-year-old isn’t just making up the numbers, either. He played a pivotal role in Brighton & Hove Albion ending their six-game winless run with a 2-0 win over Brentford. The veteran midfielder topped his side in touches (70), passes (60) and accurate passes (51). He didn’t miss either of the tackles he attempted to boot.
He will look to do the same again when Brighton host Nottingham Forest as $2.05 favourites at Farmer Stadium on Matchday 28.
Nightmare Start For Tudor
Reality is setting in for Tottenham Hotspur following their 4-1 loss to Arsenal. They’re in a genuine relegation battle, only four points from safety in 16th place in the EPL table, and they’re still without a win in 2026.
Igor Tudor couldn’t inspire a new manager bounce in his first game in charge as they failed to fire against Arsenal’s defence. While they’ve scored in 81% of their matches this season, Spurs didn’t look likely outside of a horror Arsenal error leading to their goal. They finished with only five shots to Arsenal’s 20 to lose the expected goals battle 1.93 to 0.76.
Tudor took a slight jab at Thomas Frank after the match, highlighting the job he has to correct problems in the squad:
“We need to work. There were too many bad habits in the past. Each of us, each part of the team needs to look at ourselves, grow and be humble. It’s all about work. We need to run more, work win duels and second balls.”
He’s not going to win league points with press conference jabs, though. If they can’t find at least a point against Fulham as $3.10 underdogs on Matchday 28, West Ham and Nottingham Forest will be looking to take advantage and close the gap.
City Looking Slick
Finally, Manchester City are starting to look like title contenders.
They’ve spent much of the EPL season towards the top of the table, fighting to stay within touching distance of league leaders Arsenal. Now they’re starting to play as though they deserve to be there.
The final 2-1 scoreline over Newcastle doesn’t do City’s dominance justice. Nico O’Reilly scored two before halftime and should have had a third, finding space behind the tightly guarded Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. Omar Marmoush proved to be a pivotal part of the attack, having been involved in six goals in four games against Newcastle in all competitions.
City plays before Arsenal a lot in the upcoming weeks. They will be able to put pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side, provided they continue to earn all three points along the way.
With City expected to beat Leeds as $1.58 favourites next week, another London derby, this time against Chelsea, will add more fuel to Arsenal’s fire.
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